Not one NBA season goes by without certain player injuring ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Latest victim is Phoenix Suns rookie Gani Lawal. He has torn ACL in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season.

In April 1998 Hoop magazine ran an interesting story about torn ACL and how today's methods of surgery saves NBA careers. Here is the entire article:

How today's ACL surgery saves NBA careers
Back in the Game
by Chris Ekstrand

They were once the most horrifying three letters in professional basketball. If they were spoken at all, they were usually delivered in the kind of muted, hushed tones one would find at a wake. Everyone in professional basketball knew the dreaded letters, and shuddered every time they were mentioned.
A-C-L almost always spelled the end of a basketball career.

If a player's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of two major ligaments in the middle of the knee, was torn, he seldom resumed his career. If he did, it was with very limited mobility. Players like Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham, Detroit Pistons' head coach Doug Colling and Los Angeles Lakers' general manager Mitch Kupchak had their careers ended or shortened by ACL injuries.
But as in many other sectors of medical science, the last 15 years have brought about many exciting, once-unimaginable advances in ACL surgery, which have made it possible for athletes to have surgery, undergo rehabilitation and resume their careers.
Why? Obviously there have been advances in surgical techniques and rehabilitation programs, but Knicks team physician Dr. Norman Scott said that recent successes of prominent athletes also have made a difference.
"Certainly the [confidence] level of injured is a lot higher in the past five to six years because they know of success stories," said Scott, who is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. "Prior to that, it was a tremendous blow to their psyche, and there was tremendous doubt and tremendous worry. Now, they are pretty confident of the outcome."
In 1985, Scott performed ACL surgery on Bernard King, then the league's leading scorer and an NBA All-Star for the New York Knicks. King's injury was so severe and required such major surgery that it took him two determined years of the most rigorous rehabilitation to come back.
"In Bernard's case, we used an arthrotomy, which is opening the joint to reroute a tendon muscle unit to create new ligament for him," Scott explained. "Just by opening the joint and all the surgery, it took a long time for that healing process to occur. We kept the tendon tissue attached to a muscle, because fixation in that era was not as good as we'd like. Now that we have great fixation, we could put a substitute [tendon] in there that was more of a free substitute. While it was successful, it took a long period of time for all that and the subsequent rehabilitation to take place."
Scott said that while some doctors have used cadaver tissue to reconstruct the ligament, the preferred method in younger patients is to use patella or hamstring tendons from the patient's own body. Since only a portion of the tendon is needed, the body then fills in the missing material. In older patients, Scott said, doctors will consider using cadaver tissue, which necessitates less healing time.
Dr. Stephen Lombardo, the Los Angeles Lakers team physician, said the King recovery was a landmark event. King not only came back, but he regained his All-Star form in 1991, unlike his predecessors afflicted with the injury.
"Bernard King was the first really high-profile basketball player who returned to play, and play effectively," said Lombardo, a member of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic. "After that surgery, we started to do substitute operations for the ACL, using any number of tendons about the knee that had good healing capability that substituted for the ligament that was torn."
Lombardo performed ACL surgery twice on the Suns' Danny Manning, who Suns Coach Danny Ainge described as "our most consistent and, probably, our best player."
"The problem with the ACL is that once it gets torn, it really doesn't have good healing capability," Lombardo explained. "You can sew it back together, but the healing rate is very low. The operation that was rediscovered was using a tendon to substitute for the ligament, and the most popular was the patella tendon. It could be fixed in a satisfactory position on both sides into bone. Over time, it would heal to a comparable strength level to what was there, and thus give the patient stability."
Current NBA players who have returned from ACL surgery and resume successful careers include Ron Harper of the Chicago Bulls, Mark Price of the Orlando Magic, Sean Elliott of the San Antonio Spurs, Terry Cummings of the Philadelphia 76ers, Tim Hardaway of the Miami Heat and Keith Jennings, who is playing this season in France. Retired players who were able to resume playing include Walter Davis, Eddie Lee Wilkins, and Doc Rivers.
"I guess when it really hit me how far we had come was when I was watching a San Antonio playoff game a few years ago," Lombardo recounted. "Four San Antonio players who played in that game - Doc Rivers, Terry Cummings, Jack Haley and Sean Elliott - had undergone ACL surgery at some time during their careers. Looking back 15 years ago, [comebacks] didn't exist, and now there were four guys on one team who had gone through this ans were back playing."
Dr. Scott explained that the ACL is much more prone to injury than the PCL [posterior cruciate ligament] because the PCL is a much stronger ligament. It is the strongest of the ligaments in the knee. He said that ACL injuries are not limited to basketball, and that athletes in skiing, volleyball and football are also frequently the victims of an ACL tear.
"It's a combination of rotation and forces," Scott said. "You don't need what appears to be that much of a force. When you look at the numbers, when you run and jump, the forces that go through the knee can be anywhere from six to nine times the athlete's body weight. So all of a sudden, with that much force and a missed step or a missed rotation, it's enough to over-stress the ligament."
Lombardo said advances in rehabilitation have been just as significant in the recovery of the athletes as the surgery itself. He recognized Dr. Don Shelbourne of Indianapolis, a respected orthopedic surgeon, as one of the pioneers in the way ACL rehabilitation is structured today.
"Shelbourne encouraged patients to start early motion of the knee soon after surgery so people would not get stiff knees," Lombardo said. "There was a much higher incidence 15 years ago of stiff knees after the surgery. There was an inclination to keep people in a cast and let it heal. We learned over time that people did better if you let them start moving early. That was a major contribution that he made."
There is currently a lot of discussion among specialists in the field about studies that indicate female athletes are more prone to suffer ACL injuries than males, although not enough verifiable data is available to know why this is the case.
"Some people try to relate that to the anatomy of the knee, that smaller people have smaller canals that the ligament goes through, so it's more at risk," Lombardo said. "Some people think it's more related to the difference in hormones. It hasn't been nailed down yet. It is being looked at and studied."
Advances in equipment and rehabilitation techniques continue to make ACL surgery less and less radical, the rehabilitation time shorter, and the amount of dexterity the player has upon returning greater than ever before.
"Seven or eight years ago we told patients 12 months [before they could return to the playing field]," Lombardo said. "Now we are telling them six months. Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers came back in three-and-a-half months. He got injured after coming back, but the injury was to his kneecap, not the ligament. So some people are getting back quicker than six months. It's a combination of improved surgical procedure, better technology and more sophisticated rehabilitation techniques that are allowing us to have better results now."

Also was in the article:
WHAT IS THE ACL?
The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments found in the knee.
* ACL - Anterior Cruciate Ligament. One of two major ligaments, or strong bands of tissue, which cross each other in the front of the knee. The anterior cruciate [or crossed] ligament is the ligament in the front.
* PCL - Posterior Cruciate Ligament. The other of the two major ligaments that cross in front of the knee. The posterior cruciate ligament is found behind the anterior cruciate ligament.
* MCL - Medial Collateral Ligament. A ligament on the inner facing side of the knee that prevents the knee from moving side to side.
* LCL - Lateral Collateral Ligament. A ligament on the outer facing side of the knee that prevents the knee from bending into a "bow-leg" type of bend.

HOW DOES THE KNEE WORK?
The knee is the largest joint in the body, and one of the most easily injured. It is made up of the lower end of the thigh bone [femur], which rotates on the upper end of the shin bone [tibia], and the knee cap [patella] which slides in a groove on the end of the femur.
The knee also contains large ligaments that help control motion by connecting bones and bracing the joint against abnormal types of motion. Other parts of the knee, like cartilage, serve to cushion the knee or help it absorb shock during motion.
Source: American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons

At the end of article it says: Chris Ekstrand is a staff writer for Hoop. An avid amateur hoopster, he feels lucky to still have healthy knees.

Last edited by tpakrac on Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

Friday, March 30, 2007 Â· Last updated 12:04 a.m. PT
Inside The Nba: ACL tear takes own sweet time
By GARY WASHBURN, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
HE MANEUVERED his chiseled, 248-pound body down the lane, took a pass from Allen Iverson and threw down a vicious dunk on Nick Collison to give Denver a slim lead Wednesday night. Nene Hilario -- or Nene as he is referred to by public address announcer Kyle Speller in a loud baritone voice -- is playing at a career-best level for the Nuggets.
Nene approaches his recent success with humility, mainly because just a few months ago, his right knee would swell up after practices and shoot-arounds, forcing him to sit out games. He missed all but one game last season because of a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, and 17 months after surgery he is just beginning to reach full health.
In November 2005, Nene had his ACL surgery -- 364 days before Sonics center Robert Swift, who has been cleared to run lightly and begin some basketball activities. Swift was at practice last week, shooting free throws with a large brace covering his left knee. He is hoping to return for training camp and be ready for the regular season, but Nene has some advice for his ACL peer.
"All I can say is that he needs to be patient, take your time and don't rush yourself," Nene said before the Nuggets dropped a 100-97 decision to the Sonics.
"You have to trust yourself. A lot of people are going to try to push him, but who knows more about his body and what he is feeling than himself."
Nene has played in just 53 of Denver's 70 games and logged just 12 games in the season's first two months to rest his knee. ACL tears are common in pro football and becoming more common in the NBA. Because of modern surgery and rehabilitation regimens, it is almost assumed these days that players will return 100 percent. But that is a large assumption, especially when you're a large man.
"I've seen players rehab wrong from those injuries and drag their leg the rest of their careers," Sonics coach Bob Hill said.
With a deep Australian accent, Nuggets strength and conditioning coach Steve Hess stresses patience with ACL recovery. Nene gained weight during his inactivity, which put even more pressure on the joints surrounding the knee.
"You have to take into account the size of these guys, I'm telling you it's different," said Hess, who helped Nene work off 20 pounds during the season. "When you are 7-feet, 270 pounds, the force on that joint is a lot different than a guy 5-feet. The specific area is a hot spot for up to two years, and it definitely takes between 12 and 18 months to come back. And you want to take your time because you want to be the best you ever were when you come back."
Swift said he realizes his road to return is going to be arduous. He has to trust the knee again, and then get accustomed to recurring pain caused by sore joints and pounding and then attempt to perform on the court.
Nene streaks the court with ease, and his recent conditioning has led to his improved play. But he still wears a small blue brace on the knee. He still has a scar, and still carries fresh memories of the disabling pain. He runs fast, very fast, but never hurries, not anymore.
"I feel better about it, but it's a lot of process," he said. "After about 15 months, I just started to feel better, like I could play. I play better than my first year and people said, 'he's not going to come back good.' And I am showing that's possible.
"You need to take care of yourself. It's a big deal and you have to take your time."

TOP 5 PLAYERS TO RECOVER FROM ACL
Bernard King
Perhaps the most unappreciated player in NBA history because of his lack of a title, personal issues and stint with bad teams, King returned from nearly two seasons out of the game to play four more successful seasons, including a 28.4 scoring average for the Washington Bullets in 1990-91. Sonics coach Bob Hill urged the Bullets to sign King after his two-year rehabilitation.
Danny Manning
After his "Danny and Miracles" run with Kansas in 1988, Manning seemed destined for stardom, but he became known more as the first NBA player to return from ACL tears in each knee. In 1995 he tore the right one again. He was never the player many expected because of injuries, but Manning logged 883 games on bad knees and made two All-Star appearances.
Bob Lanier
There was a reason Lanier wore a brace on his knee, and it wasn't to look cool. Lanier was one of the first NBA players to return from an ACL injury and he came back to near top form for Detroit and Milwaukee. Lanier tore his ACL during the NCAA Tournament at St. Bonaventure in 1970 and underwent seven more knee surgeries in his career, but he finished with a 24-point career average.
Ron Harper
A superstar out of Miami of Ohio and early in his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harper transformed from a speedy, dynamic scorer to a team-first, solid guard/forward for the Bulls when his knees robbed him of his explosion. He played 11 more seasons following ACL surgery.
Jamal Crawford
One for the locals and new schoolers, Crawford appears as nimble and fast as he was before tearing his left ACL prior to his second season with the Bulls. Because of Crawford's quick recovery and several high-scoring games, it's easy for fans to forget he suffered a major knee injury. It's a testament to modern technology.

Spursâ€™ Blair Is Lacking in Everything but Success
By HOWARD BECK, New York Times
Published: November 12, 2009

The unlikely phenomenon of DeJuan Blair begins with a checklist of everything that should disqualify him as an effective N.B.A. player.
He is a power forward who is listed at 6 feet 7 inches, but is closer to 6-5.
He is a rebounding specialist who barely leaves the ground.
He has no anterior cruciate ligament. In either knee.
The catalog of justifiable doubts is as thick as Blairâ€™s torso. His playful smile only grows wider at every recited item.
â€œYeah,â€ said Blair, the San Antonio Spurs rookie out of Pittsburgh, drawing out the word and punctuating it with a chuckle. â€œThatâ€™s why itâ€™s so amazing. Thatâ€™s why itâ€™s so fun.â€
There might not be anyone quite like Blair in the history of the N.B.A. The league has had its share of undersize rebounders â€” Elgin Baylor (6-5), Charles Barkley (6-6) and Dennis Rodman (6-7). But they were usually blessed with some combination of athleticism, leaping ability and knee ligaments.
Blairâ€™s shortcomings in those departments caused him to fall to the second round on draft night, all the way to 37th. So far, he looks like the steal of the draft. Through two weeks of play, Blair leads all rookies with 7.3 rebounds a game, in only 18.3 minutes. Adjusted on a per-48-minute basis, he ranks as the N.B.A.â€™s third-leading rebounder.
â€œHeâ€™s got a great future ahead of him,â€ said the Spurs veteran Antonio McDyess, an accomplished rebounder himself. â€œHeâ€™s relentless. He plays hard every possession.â€
Other top athletes have played without an A.C.L. in one knee, including Sean Elliott, the former Spurs forward, and Hines Ward, the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver. But playing professional sports without two A.C.L.â€™s might be unprecedented.
There were no mysteries about Blairâ€™s talent when he declared for the draft after two years at Pittsburgh. He averaged 11.6 rebounds as a freshman and reached double digits 41 times in a 72-game career. He had a memorable head-to-head showdown in February with Connecticutâ€™s Hasheem Thabeet, the 7-3 center who became the No. 2 pick in the draft by Memphis.
Scouts and statistical experts generally agree that rebounding translates well from college to the N.B.A., so Blair was, at first, highly regarded. He was once projected as a late lottery pick. His fate changed, however, at a draft combine last spring, when doctors performed a routine magnetic resonance imaging examination on his knees.
That was when Blair learned he had no A.C.L.â€™s.
â€œI was a little shocked,â€ he said.
Blair had ruptured the ligaments as a high school sophomore, but they were presumably repaired in surgery. The theory now is that the grafts did not take and were absorbed by the body.
Although an A.C.L. helps stabilize the knee, the 20-year-old Blair has probably compensated by building up strength in muscles and other ligaments. He said his knees had never given him trouble since high school.
Still, many N.B.A. executives were spooked by the revelation. There were other concerns, including Blairâ€™s weight (he is listed at 265 pounds) and his height. But his knees â€œwere a big factor in him falling as far as he did,â€ said an Eastern Conference scout, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing another teamâ€™s player.
The scout, whose team considered drafting Blair, praised him as a â€œdominating force around the basketâ€ who was likely to make teams regret passing on him.
Blair is what is known as a â€œcoper,â€ meaning he can function normally without an A.C.L., said Dr. James Gladstone, the chief of sports medicine in the department of orthopedic surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Copers comprise about 5 percent of people who tear an A.C.L.
â€œFor the vast majority of people, not having an A.C.L. and playing basketball donâ€™t really go together,â€ Gladstone said.
The A.C.L. helps prevent over-rotation in the knee and is in constant demand in basketball, which requires sudden stops and starts, pivoting, leaping and cutting. That Blair is playing, and excelling, without two A.C.L.â€™s â€œis highly unusual,â€ Gladstone said.
If the lack of A.C.L.â€™s were a problem, Blairâ€™s knees would buckle. So far, they have not. Gladstone, who has not examined Blair, theorized that Blair had compensated over time, â€œso it wouldnâ€™t be a concern to me any longer.â€
â€œThatâ€™s not to say tomorrow he wonâ€™t go up for a layup, land and his knee buckles on him,â€ Gladstone said. â€œBut I think the chances of that are highly unlikely.â€
He added, â€œI certainly wouldnâ€™t be in a rush to give him new A.C.L.â€™s.â€
Clearly, some N.B.A. doctors and executives had less confidence, especially with millions of dollars at stake. First-round picks get a two-year guaranteed contract, which made Blair a greater risk in the first 30 selections.
â€œVery honestly, we decided that it was a no-brainer at 37,â€ said Gregg Popovich, the Spursâ€™ coach and team president. â€œNo. 37 in the draft usually isnâ€™t in the league anymore anyway. So if he is healthy and he proves people wrong, youâ€™ve got a hell of a steal. There wasnâ€™t anyone else we were going to pick who was going to help us win a championship.â€
The Spurs have the advantage of great frontcourt depth, with the veterans McDyess, Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner and Theo Ratliff. They do not need to lean heavily on Blair.
When they do call on him, the results are quite enjoyable. Blair does not leap high, but he uses his width and strength to gain position. Then he corrals loose balls with large hands that have been compared to catcherâ€™s mitts and a wingspan that is close to seven-and-a-half feet.
â€œThe thing to me that seems most empowering about him is when he gets his hands on the ball, nobody else gets possession,â€ said R. C. Buford, the Spursâ€™ general manager.
In his first preseason game, Blair grabbed 19 rebounds in 22 minutes against Houston. Two weeks later, Blair grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 17 points in just 15 minutes against Oklahoma City.
Because of his size, Blair had his shot blocked five times. But he followed two of those blocks with second-effort layups, his relentlessness and his inexperience on simultaneous display.
â€œThatâ€™s a good thing,â€ Popovich said after the preseason game against Oklahoma City. â€œHeâ€™s got to test that.â€
The Spurs are so confident in Blair that they gave him a four-year contract worth as much as $3.8 million (with $2.3 million guaranteed). It is an unusually generous deal for a second-round pick. But then, Blair is an unusual individual.
â€œI always say Iâ€™m blessed,â€ Blair said cheerfully. â€œThatâ€™s why I take advantage of every day and try and smile. Iâ€™m in the N.B.A. and without A.C.L.â€™s and with the Spurs. Doing my dream. Iâ€™m blessed. Itâ€™s amazing.â€

"Sean Elliott tore part of his ACL when he was only 14. Surgical reconstruction wasn't done at the time because it would have interfered with the growth of the bones in his knee."

DeJuan Blair: "He was once projected as a late lottery pick. His fate changed, however, at a draft combine last spring, when doctors performed a routine magnetic resonance imaging examination on his knees. That was when Blair learned he had no A.C.L.â€™s. â€œI was a little shocked,â€ he said. Blair had ruptured the ligaments as a high school sophomore, but they were presumably repaired in surgery. The theory now is that the grafts did not take and were absorbed by the body."

Last edited by tpakrac on Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

I would have to say Shaun Livingston's injury was one of the most gruesome sports injuries that I've seen along with Tim Krumrie's broken leg in the Super Bowl, Joe Theisman's Broken Leg and Napoleon McCallum's knee injury.

Easily the worst basketball injury (to view) that I can think of.

Author of THE BASKETBALL DRAFT FACT BOOK: A HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL'S COLLEGE DRAFTSAvailable at https://Rowman.com

Robert, Livingston's injury is the most gruesome basketball injury that I've seen. However, there was one worse injury but I didn't see it.

One year ago a question was asked on Yahoo answers. The question was: "Where can i see how injured Boban Jankovic?(video)?"
The formulation of question is a little incomplete but you get the point. Others answers on Yahoo about the issue:

"In 1992, former Red Star Belgrade star Boban Jankovicâ€™s career was tragically ended when he lost his cool in a Greek League playoff game between Panionios and Panathinaikos. When the referee wiped out a Jankovic basket and instead called him for an offensive foul, Jankovic slammed his head hard against the goal post, causing permanent damage to his spinal cord. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair before his premature death in 2006 at the age of 42."

"Yesterday evening the Italian National TV has remembered the absurd tragedy of Boban Jankovic, the unlucky player who payed a moment of anger with a perpetual tetraplegia.

28th April 1993, Nea Smirne, Panionios - Panathinaikos, Greek league semifinals: Jankovic scores, but he's charged with an offensive foul. He doesn't agree, and with unheard violence beats voluntarily his head against the structure of the basket. He falls down, he loses blood from his mouth.
Everyone understands that a tragedy has happened, he said to the doctor of Panionios "I can't feel my hands".

He will spend the rest of his life on a wheelchair... for what? A moment of anger, a moment in which this person lost his head. It happens, how many time everyone of us has punched a table or a wall, has expressed his anger and dissappointment with "violence".
Boban Jankovic had his body and life cut in this fraction of second. Now, after ten years, I still can't find an explication to this fact. At this time, I was shocked. I'm shocked now too.
Last year I went to watch Panioinos Nea Smirne - Turk Telekom Ankara (3/5/2002), Saporta Cup. His former team decided to give him an "award", and I'll never forget this evening.
This little arena was full, and when Boban Jankovic has been announced by the official speaker, an incredible standing ovation started. This dured five or ten minutes, while people kept on acclaim his name, "Boban! Boban!". Many were crying, and I can understand them: the emotion and the intensity of these moments were incredibile, it's impossible to describe what was happening during these minutes.

Yesterday, during this TV emission, two senteces have been told. The first one came from the mouth of the doctor of the team: "I would have prefered that Jankovic would have died this day". The second one, has been told by Boban Jankovic: it will be very hard to forget these words. Maybe it's right that these words can't be forgotten: "the worst thing is when you go to sleep, knowing that tomorrow you'll get up... no, you'll wake up with the same pain".

Walter Davis suffered a full tear of the posterior cruciate ligament, and partial tears of the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament on 9Oct84 when he slipped on a wet playing surface at the Forum on 9Oct86 during a preseason game.

Last edited by Robert Bradley on Sun Jan 09, 2011 1:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

Author of THE BASKETBALL DRAFT FACT BOOK: A HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL'S COLLEGE DRAFTSAvailable at https://Rowman.com

I also compiled a list of WNBA players with ACL injuries:
Croatian guard Korie Hlede (Detroit Shock) - 1998
Rebecca Lobo (New York Liberty) â€“ June 1999, New York Daily News, December 2008: "She averaged 12 points in her first two seasons, but Lobo suffered a setback in 1999, tearing her left ACL in the first game of the season. She wasn't the same after the injury (she reinjured the ACL in the middle of her first rehabilitation in December and was forced to have another surgery), never scoring more than 2.4 points in three seasons split between New York, Houston and Connecticut. "It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be," Lobo says. "It was unbelievably frustrating.""
Tamika Catchings - drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2001 despite the fact that she was rehabbing her torn ACL she injured in college
Sheryl Swoopes (Houston Comets) â€“ April 2001
DeLisha Milton-Jones (Los Angeles Sparks) â€“ July 2004
Lindsey Harding (Minnesota Lynx) - first overall pick in the 2007 WNBA draft tore ACL in July 2007
Karl Malone's daughter Cheryl Ford (Detroit Shock) â€“ July 2008
Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx) â€“ June 2009
Katie Smith â€“ two ACL injuries

Interesting thread. I interviewed an NBA player from the 1960s and 1970s a while back who now runs a basketball academy. He told me that in his day, basketball players never tore their ACLs. Their problem was always ankle sprains. His explanation was today's high-tech shoes distribute more pressure onto the knees and make the ACLs vulnerable. The old Converse high tops didn't. True, players went down with knee injuries in the 1960s and 1970s. But the trouble usually arose from the nightly pounding of playing on hard floors, ie, the first serious knee injury that befell Elgin Baylor.

Whether this is true or not, I have no idea. But I thought it was an interesting take on the ACL problem.

Haywoode Workman (Indiana Pacers) â€“ November 1996, he is now active NBA referee
Derek Anderson (senior season at Kentucky) â€“ 1997, despite missing nearly all of the second half of his senior season at Kentucky due to a torn ACL, Derek Anderson was selected on the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 13th player chosen overall. Anderson suffered the torn ACL in his right knee January 18, 1997 in a home game against Auburn. Anderson led Kentucky in scoring, three-point shooting, free throws attempted and steals and was second in assists before tearing a second ACL in three years (he blew out his left knee before transferring from Ohio State).
Brent Price (Houston Rockets) â€“ February 1997
Popeye Jones (Toronto Raptors) â€“ November 1997
Jerome James (Sacramento Kings) â€“ July 1999
Speedy Claxton (Philadelphia 76ers) â€“ October 2000
Raul Lopez (Utah Jazz) â€“ August 2002. In September 2002, he signed his NBA rookie contract with the Utah Jazz and underwent surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, missing the entire 2002-03 NBA season
Marcus Fizer (Chicago Bulls) â€“ January 2003
Obinna Ekezie (Atlanta Hawks) â€“ October 2003
Tony Allen (Boston Celtics) â€“ January 2007
Brandon Rush (University of Kansas, sophomore season) â€“ May 2007. Rush injured his ACL during a pickup game Thursday and then withdrew from the NBA draft. Kansas played on the NCAA Final Four in 2008, and before semifinal game CBSSports.com Senior Writer Dennis Dodd wrote an article called "Rush's ACL injury 'a blessing in disguise'." First two sentences in the article are quite mind boggling: "It was the luckiest anterior cruciate ligament tear in history. Lucky, if you consider that neither Brandon Rush nor Kansas would be here if Rush hadn't shredded his right ACL last spring."
A.J. Price (Connecticut, junior season) â€“ March 2008
Kareem Rush (L.A. Clippers) â€“ November 2009

Houston Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry tore his ACL headed into his freshman season at Villanova, but made a near-miraculous midseason return. Lowry returned quickly from an ACL tear before his freshman season, sparking Villanova to a nice run in the NCAA Tournament.

It's NBA summer league time, which means lots of stories about players trying to keep their NBA dreams alive. In other words, lots of stories about guys like Ousmane Cisse.
If that melodic name rings a bell, it should. At one time Cisse (pronounced see-say) was a hot prospect in NBA circles, a Parade All-American. Now, he's more well-known for being a poster child -- along with Korleone Young and Leon Smith -- for the NBA's stay-in-school program. Cisse is trying to shed that latter label. He recently played with the Golden State Warriors in this year's L.A. Summer League, and while he didn't land a spot on the team's training camp roster, he is hopeful he opened enough eyes to get a chance somewhere next fall. "I'm just looking for an opportunity," says Cisse.
For those who don't remember the details, Cisse's story is borderline tragic. As a senior at St. Jude High in Montgomery, Ala., the 6-foot-9, 250-pound man-child averaged 29 points, 16 rebounds and 12 blocked shots per game. He was considered one of the best big men in the country -- along with the likes of Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry -- and was recruited by Duke, Louisville, North Carolina and Cincinnati, among others. But in a game midway through his senior year he went up for an alley-oop and landed awkwardly on his left knee. The diagnosis: torn ACL. Cisse tried to come back that season, but it was clear he wasn't the same player.
At this point, Cisse's tale took the tragic turn from which he is still trying to recover.
Instead of putting his NBA dreams on hold and going to college, where he could rehabilitate his knee and further his education, he listened to the advice of his (now former) agent and declared for the 2001 draft. With raw skills and a bum knee, he was quickly exposed in NBA workouts. His stock plummeted. The Nuggets took a flier on him in the second round (No. 47 overall), but released him in training camp.
The son of educated parents from Mali, Africa, he didn't need the money an NBA roster spot promised. Now 21, Cisse says he should have known that he wasn't going to make it with a bad knee and that the NBA wasn't going to wait around for him. "It was not a good choice," he says. "If I'd gone to college, they would have had time to work with me, make my leg strong and after one or two years I'd have been ready to go to next level."
Now Cisse must chase his NBA dreams the hard way. Since washing out in Denver, he has slowly worked his knee back into playing shape while earning paychecks in Russia and the USBL. Last year he landed a spot on the Magic's summer league team. "He's as close as they get physically, and does a great job," former Magic GM John Gabriel says. "He just has to learn to put it together on a consistent basis."
Cisse's sculpted NBA body, his 7-4 wingspan and his work ethic were enough to convince the Warriors to give him another shot this year. Cisse demonstrated he still has ability, averaging 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds, but showed he still needs work. "He's a physical specimen, but he's still raw in terms of knowing how to play the game," Warriors assistant GM Rod Higgins said. "He needs coaching."
Former NBA star Kermit Washington -- who has been working out with Cisse in the D.C. area this summer -- thinks Cisse still has a chance to catch on with the NBA. Washington compares him to Ben Wallace, in terms of his body and work ethic. "This kid is a phenomenal athlete, he's the hardest-working kid I've ever seen and he's a sponge when it comes to learning," Washington says. ""He blocks shots like he's got a racket in his hands. All he needs is a chance."
Cisse says he just wants to prove to NBA observers and personnel people that he's healthy -- and capable. The knee is now 100 percent, he says, adding that he's improved his offensive game around the basket. But physical ability isn't enough, and Cisse knows it. He longs for the day when he won't hear Dick Vitale and others mention his name in the same sentence with preps-to-pros busts Young and Smith. "I was one of top players coming out of high school," Cisse says. "I was up there with Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, all those guys. What happened was I got hurt. I wasn't healthy. I couldn't compete like I used to. Now, I'm 100 percent. My knee is strong. I'm a different player. I know I can make it. All I need is an opportunity."
The NBA summer league might be full of similar stories, but few more filled with pathos than Cisse's. Only time will tell if he can write a happy ending.
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com.

Also by Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated, Posted: Wednesday August 25, 2004
"Bauman offers the story of another of his clients, Jazz guard Raul Lopez, as a cautionary tale. The Spanish playmaker was drafted by Utah in '01 and was set to sign with the Jazz in the summer of '02. He had even just made a $1.6 million buyout to his club in Real Madrid. But while playing in an exhibition game for Spain's national team that summer, he tore his ACL for the second time in a year. With his Jazz deal not yet signed, he could have found himself in dire financial straits. Fortunately for Lopez, Utah signed him anyway and he was able to rehab the knee and eventually had a successful rookie season last year. When Spain came calling for Lopez this season, Bauman wasn't about to take any chances. "I told him, 'Your career is more important than playing in the Olympics.' I said, 'If you play, I'm prepared to resign as your agent.'" Lopez chose not to play for Spain this time around."

I don't know when Bob Lanier tore his ACL, but he was an All-Star after the injury. He has a total of 7 All-Star selections with Detroit Pistons (1972-1975, 1977, 1978, 1979), and one with Milwaukee Bucks (1982).
Other NBA All-Stars after ACL surgery:
Bernard King â€“ Washington Bullets (1991). Other All-Star selections before injury: 1982 with Golden State Warriors; 1984, 1985 with New York Knicks
Mark Price â€“ 3 All-Star selections with Cleveland Cavaliers (1992, 1993, 1994); and one before injury (1989), also with Cleveland
Danny Manning â€“ 2 All-Star selections with L.A. Clippers (1993, 1994)
Tim Hardaway â€“ 2 All-Star selections with Miami Heat (1997, 1998); three before injury with Golden State Warriors (1991, 1992, 1993)
Baron Davis â€“ 2 All-Star selections with New Orleans Hornets (2002, 2004)

1994-95:
Price missed the entire 1994-95 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee...Washington waived him on April 19.

1996-97:
Price was expected to step in as Houston's regular point guard after he joined the Rockets as a veteran free agent, but a broken left humerus suffered in a preseason game on Oct. 24 ruined those plans. He did not make his debut until Dec. 28, and just when he seemed to be playing his way back into top form he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 25. He was placed on the injured list on March 3, underwent surgery on March 15 and sat out the remainder of the regular season and postseason...

Raul Lopez tore the ACL in his right knee in November 2001. On 17 August 2002 the repaired ACL broke again during a friendly game with the national team.

Later on, while in Utah, he had artroscopic surgery on the same knee in 2004 so he missed the start of the season. Then on 15 February 2005 he injured the "good" left knee in a game vs the Lakers and had to undergo artroscopic surgery on that left knee.

Finally, in November 2008 he injured the meniscus in his right knee and required further surgery.

tpakrac wrote:I don't know when Bob Lanier tore his ACL, but he was an All-Star after the injury. He has a total of 7 All-Star selections with Detroit Pistons (1972-1975, 1977, 1978, 1979), and one with Milwaukee Bucks (1982).

Lanier suffered his ACL injury in the 1970 regional finals against Villanova while playing at St. Bonaventure. He still had the cast on his leg when he signed his rookie contract with Detroit after being the first pick overall in the NBA Draft - http://www.nba.com/history/players/lanier_bio.html

Author of THE BASKETBALL DRAFT FACT BOOK: A HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL'S COLLEGE DRAFTSAvailable at https://Rowman.com